Close reading

I thought we could do an exploration of Close Reading, which is when you closely examine a text to see what meanings you can find in it. The term Close Reading seems a fairly recent invention, but people have been doing it for time unknown, ranging from bible study to English classes to trying to work out what John Lennon was on about in I am the Walrus.

I thought it would be fun to start with a Close Reading of the lyrics of American Pie, which Don Maclean has famously always refused to explain. I imagine given our ages we are all familiar with the song, but I'll circulate a lyric sheet anyway.

We could also do I am the Walrus (lyrics here). Although it's easy to dismiss as a hallucinogen-inspired stream-of-consciousness with no intrinsic meaning, it might be amusing to try to find one anyway.

Perhaps if anybody has a favourite poem or segment of prose, they could bring it along to discuss. It's not only about finding meaning. Sometimes the meaning has no need of dispute, but the language used to convey it surprises or moves us.

If there's time we could embark on discussing the meta-issue of Close Reading in general. Is it a waste of time? Is it just harmless fun? Is there too much of it in HSC English courses? Does it become dangerous when people try to infer rules for life from their sacred texts, that they then try to impose on others - whether those texts be the Bible, The Quran, The Bhagavad Gita or the Communist Manifesto.